The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Americans have fought in many wars, within their own country as well as abroad. These wars were fought for a variety of reasons, ranging from the need to be independent from colonists to the expansion of national boundaries. The British Navigation acts, the closing of western lands, the restricting of the colonial currency, the Quartering Act, the Stamp Act, and The Townshend Acts enacted by the British Parliament contributed to the revolution of colonists. In 1773, the British Parliament permitted the East India Company to sell tea in the colonies at very low prices, which resulted in the Boston tea party. The response of the British Parliament was the Intolerable Acts and the Quebec Act in 1774. In September of the same year, the First Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia. The Revolutionary War began in 1775. The second Continental Congress was held in May, 1775 in Philadelphia. In 1776, the United States declared independence. British and American troops fought near Boston, New York, Trenton, and other places. In 1783, by the Treaty of Paris, the independence of the 13th colonies was recognized by Great Britain, and the war ended. There are many renditions of this concept and don’t worry - we have them all. This slogan inspired a very famous political cartoon that was published in the Pennsylvania Journal in 1754, which featured a snake cut into pieces with the caption "Join or Die." This snake acted as a symbol of resistance at the time, and it was often used in political propaganda. The United States declared war on Britain in 1812. The Americans’ attempts to conquer Canada during the campaigns of 1812-1813 failed. British blockaded the American coast. After many battles, the war was ended in 1814 by the Treaty of Ghent, which was the Belgium of old. Weeks after that, Major General Andrew Jackson, also known as “Old Hickory,” won the battle of New Orleans. The war ended with no gain for both sides. In the War of 1812, there were many notable battles. Among the most notable was the Battle of Lake Erie, not too far from our headquarters in East Greenbush New York. In this battle, Captain James Lawrence uttered his final words that are famous today, “Don't give up this ship!” Today, his bravery is celebrated and commemorated in the Don't Give Up This Ship flag. Mexico refused to recognize the annexation of Texas. In 1846, Mexicans attacked US troops, and the Congress declared war on Mexico. The Mexican-American War was ended by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. Mexico ceded the states of California, Utah, Nevada, as well as parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Wyoming. After the Mexican American war, the US had a few extra states mentioned above! With all those states came new state flags for California, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Wyoming. That’s a lot of state flags and territory to explore. And the best news is that they are all available here at Gettysburg Flag Works. The American Civil War was fought by 11 southern states known as the Confederacy and Union states. Since President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party were against the expansion of slavery, the southern states declared their secession from the Union. This war was the deadliest in American history. The Union won, the Confederate armies surrendered in 1865, and the war ended the practice of slavery. During the Civil War, the US didn't have all 50 states that are present today. In fact they only had 34 states. That is why we specifically made the 34-star Union Civil Flag. The Union soldiers and leadership specifically left the southern states represented on the flag because they refused to let them secede from the union. The Bonnie Blue Flag was another prominent flag at the time as it represented the Confederate States of America at the beginning of the war, before switching over to the confederate flag we know today. Its simple design is known to be the first lone-star flag made in America. Spain declared war on the US in April 1898 because the US supported the Cuban struggle for independence. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in August, 1898. The US gained the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The First World War began in 1914, and it was fought between the Allied (Entente) Powers, which included the Russian Empire, the British Empire, France, the Empire of Japan, Italy, and the US, and the Central Powers, which included the Ottoman Empire, the German Empire, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria. The war ended with the victory of the Allied Powers in 1918. New nations were formed. While there weren’t any real flags of the era, there were 48 states present at the time. Guess which states weren’t a part of the US yet? That’s right… Alaska and Hawaii are the final 2 states added to the flag. The Second World War started in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland. It was fought between the Axis Powers, which consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the Allies, which were made up of the British Empire, the USSR, and the USA. The war ended with the capitulation of Germany and Japan in 1945. Warsaw Pact and NATO were created, and the Cold War began. In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, and the nations that were allied with the US (the UN) intervened on behalf of the South. The USSR and the People’s Republic of China supported the North Korea. The Korean conflict ended in 1953. The Korean Demilitarized Zone was established. The Vietnam War was fought between the communist forces of North Vietnam, Viet Kong, Khmer Rouge, the People’s Republic of China, USSR, North Korea, and Pathet Lao, and the anticommunist forces of US, South Vietnam, South Korea, Australia, Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Laos and the Khmer Republic. North Vietnam won, and Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam became communist states. The Vietnam War was controversial. But, what isn’t controversial is how well these flags represent this valiant group of soldiers. Our best Vietnam War flags display the colors of the Vietnam war. The red represents the three Vietnamese empires of Tonkin, Annam and Cochin China. The green demonstrates the dense jungles of Vietnam and terrain that the soldiers had to traverse throughout the war. Finally, the Yellow is showing the imperial color of Vietnam. The war was fought between Iraq and the coalition forces of 34 nations that were authorized by the UN, after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The war ended with the coalition victory, and Kuwait was liberated. Modern wars don’t really get creative with flags. Instead, we have a wonderful tribute in the form of a grave marker for those who fell during the war fighting for our freedom. Similar to the War in Afghanistan, the Iraq war doesn’t have commemorative flags or historical flags to represent it well. This is most likely due to how recent the war was. Instead please tribute those fallen with Iraq War grave markers and/or appropriate military, armed forces and POW/MIA flags. Many wars have been waged on terror and the groups that make up terror groups. Some of these groups include but are not limited to al-Qaeda, Islamic State, ISIS, al-shabaab and various other groups. In these conflicts, the U.S.A. supported and fought to defend freedom to varying degrees. These conflicts are not large enough to be considered a full fledged war for the U.S., but still deserve recognition nonetheless. This refers to the United States' involvement in Yemen's ongoing civil war, which began in 2002 as part of the larger War on Terror. The conflict in Yemen has its roots in political and economic grievances, including corruption, unemployment, and poverty, which led to protests and demands for political reform in 2011. This was followed by a power struggle between different factions, including the internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebel movement, which escalated into a full-blown civil war in 2014. The U.S. has provided military support to the Yemeni government as its broader counterterrorism efforts in the region. The conflict in Pakistan's northwest region has its roots in the Soviet-Afghan War of the 1980s, when the U.S. and other countries provided support to Afghan militants fighting against Soviet forces. This led to the rise of extremist groups, including the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, which subsequently used Pakistan as a base of operations. The U.S. became involved in the conflict following the 9/11 attacks in 2001, as part of its efforts to combat terrorism and dismantle Al-Qaeda. The U.S. became involved in the conflict as part of its broader counterterrorism efforts in the region, particularly in response to the threat posed by Al-Shabaab militants.The U.S. has conducted drone strikes and provided military support to the Somali government in its fight against Al-Shabaab militants. In addition to the ongoing civil war, there has been a NATO-led operation to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia called Operation Ocean Shield (2009-2016). Its main purpose was to provide naval patrols and escort missions to protect ships from pirate attacks. This was made mainstream by the feature film Captain Phillips which is based on a true merchant story of Somali pirates taking over a ship. The piracy off the coast of Somalia was largely driven by poverty and the absence of effective governance in the region. The U.S. and other countries launched Operation Ocean Shield to protect shipping lanes and prevent pirate attacks, which were causing significant economic damage. The conflict in Libya was sparked by the Arab Spring protests in 2011, which led to the overthrow of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. However, the country quickly descended into chaos, as various armed groups vied for power and control. The U.S. and other countries became involved in the conflict as part of efforts to protect civilians and stabilize the country. Uganda and neighboring countries have internal conflict due to a Militant group rising.   Observant Compass  was a U.S.-led operation to provide military support and training to African Union forces fighting against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Lord's Resistance Army is led by Joseph Kony, and is responsible for widespread atrocities, including child abduction and forced recruitment. The U.S. launched Operation Observant Compass to support regional forces in their efforts to capture and defend their citizens from Kony and other LRA forces. This intervention refers to the U.S. military aid in the Syrian Civil War, which began in 2014. Although, The conflict in Syria began as a peaceful protest movement in 2011. The Protesters wanted political reform and an end to government corruption. However, the government's brutal crackdown on protesters, combined with sectarian tensions and the emergence of extremist groups, quickly escalated into a full-blown civil war. The U.S. became involved in the conflict as part of efforts to combat ISIS and other extremist groups. Niger has been caught in the takeover of their regional area by militant groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS. The U.S. became involved in the conflict following a 2017 ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers, as part of efforts to support Nigerien forces in their fight against terrorism. The U.S. military's presence in Niger was meant to provide training and support to Nigerien forces in their fight against ISIS and other militant groups in the region and is ongoing as of January 2023. © 2022 Gettysburg Flag® Works, Inc. All rights reserved.